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Festus Iyayi: Death at the peak of struggle

November 13, 2013 : Akeem Lasisi

Prof. Festus Iyayi

AKEEM LASISI writes that radical scholar and writer, Prof. Festus Iyayi, who died in a road accident on Tuesday, was a committed promoter of a just social system

Death hit the Nigerian academia and the literati hard on Tuesday as non-conformist scholar and writer, Prof. Festus Iyayi, passed away in a road accident.

The death of the one-time president of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities and winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize occurred about seven months after the country lost another legendary writer, Prof. Chinua Achebe.

While it had also lost some other writers – including Larinde Akinleye and Femi Fatoba – and many other people in road crashes, the violent circumstance of Iyayi’s death may also remind followers of African literature of that of Ghanaian writer Kofi Awonoor-Williams, who was killed in Kenya by terrorists in September this year.

But what many would find instructive is the fact that Iyayi died in the course of prosecuting the battle in which ASUU has engaged the Federal Government, fighting for the revitalisation of the university system, in the past four months. He was on his way to Kano, alongside other members, where they wanted to attend a congress that would take a decision on the possibility of calling off the ASUU strike.

People who believe in the prophetic power of writers may thus find cause to, in retrospection, attach more importance to one of the popular statements from Iyayi’s novel, Heroes — “… those who carry the cross for society always get crucified in the end …”

Yet, the fact that the bus that Iyayi and co. were said to have been hit by a car in the convoy of Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada, has compounded the anger and frustration of many Nigerians who are lucky enough to be living – and not dead – witnesses to the recklessness that convoys of many political office holders display.

Reacting to the news of Iyayi’s death, the President of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Prof. Remi Raji, says the development is a sad commentary on not just the contradictions in the country’s educational system but also manifestations of political recklessness.

Raji says, “That Prof. Iyayi’s death is linked to the recklessness of the convoy of a governor once again shows the irresponsibility of many political office holders. We have talked about it many times. It is about what I call siren senselessness. You have to clear the way because somebody is going to buy yam for a governor’s wife.”

Meanwhile, while Raji notes that Iyayi’s portrayal of bourgeoisie characters gripped his imagination as a university student, other stakeholders have paid tributes to the deceased. Poet and critic, Odia Ofeimun, says Iyayi was a man “who should not be dead.”

According to Ofeimun, he was a good person who never betrayed the people he stood by.

He adds, “Festus Iyayi saw life as a struggle. He believed that those who struggle must stand by their own. This is part of what defined his relationship with ASUU. Whether he lost his job or jailed for the cause of ASUU, he stood by the union all through. The last time I saw him, it was on the television. That was when the lecturers were demonstrating in Benin. He was with them in his academic gown.”

Ofeimun says Iyayi also remained a committed writer till death. He notes that although social struggle ate deep into his time, he kept writing, to the point that he had works he had not published.

“When it mattered to talk about commitment in literature, Iyayi wrote sensible literature, something sensible to anyone who believes he should not be afraid of his belief,” he explains.

Similarly, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Dr. Chijioke Uwasoba, describes Iyayi as a great man in the field of literature, while US-based scholar and writer, Prof. Okey Ndibe, says Iyayi was one of the most “intrepid social voices” the country has ever produced.

Born in Edo State in 1947, Iyayi’s family is said to have lived on little means but instilled in him strong moral lessons about life. According to a profile, he started his education at Annuciation Catholic College in the old Bendel State popularly known as ACC, finishing in 1966, and later proceeded to Government College Ughelli. He was a zonal winner in a Kenedy Essay Competition organised by the United States Embassy in Nigeria. He left the shores of Nigeria to pursue his higher education, obtaining a M.Sc in Industrial Economics from the Kiev Institute of Economics, in the former USSR and then his Ph.D from the University of Bradford, England. In 1980, he went back to Benin and became a lecturer in the Department of Business Administration at the University of Benin.

A reviewer, Susie deVille, writes that Iyayi’s three novels, Violence, The Contract, and Heroes, as well as his collection of short stories, Awaiting Court Martial, expose the abject penury and disenfranchisement that constitute the social reality of the majority of Nigerians.

“In language that is often vitriolic and stinging, Iyayi’s protagonists potently display his contempt for the rampant corruption that strangles contemporary Nigeria. Business persons, politicians, generals, and other officials hoard the country’s wealth and power at the expense of the working class. This base depravity of the ruling class,” deVille says.

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five months ago he told the truth.T
This is how those hajib in the pix above with their fathers and ground fathers thanked the fake nation for kicking out the britise.

Funds stashed in foreign accounts rose to $170bn annually in 2003

Omololu Ogunmade

A report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has put the estimated amount of looted funds from the Nigerian treasury at $600 billion between independence and 1999.

Making this known yesterday in Abuja at a two-day international conference on “Emerging Democracies in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities”, organised by the Nigerian Institute for Legislative Studies, Professor Festus Iyayi of the University of Benin said findings had shown that the estimated sum of money stolen by the Nigerian elite between 1960 and 1999 from the treasury varied between $400 billion and $600 billion.

He recalled a UNODC report, which showed that as far back as 1999, the total amount stolen by members of the ruling class had been put at $400 billion.

He also cited the Director of Office of UNODC, Mr. Tim Daniel, who had reported that $110 billion was being looted annually from the treasury, while stolen monies stashed in foreign accounts increased from $50 billion in 1999 to $170 billion in 2003.

Ruling class: Who are this Ruling class?

North 38years,
S.East 6months,
S.West 12years.

Edo’Xa

May his soul rest in perfect peace

Dam Timothy

Leave a message…Rest in peace, Prof. Festus Iyayi. Although dead u may be, u still live in us, we literary artists.

nwa biafra

If you have been in the class room this will not hapen… RIP.

http://www.wofbcii.com/ monday aluola

May your soul rest in peace!

The Invincible Pen

One life pays for another

Truepoint

The Prof (now late), a voice in social justice consistent in his struggle for a good university system for the Nigerian youth is probably killed by a senseless driver in a convoy of a politician whose children are enjoying schooling in a well organised, well funded university abroad. what an irony of fate

Abosede Olashege

May his soul rest in peace. In his honour, ASUU should please call off this strike, he has paid the prize. This is really touching, may God console his family and grant him peace with the Lord

Raji Gbolagade

Adieu, Prof Iyayi festus

slimnatt

may is soul rest in perfect peace

Paul

Adieu
The Victim
Journey well
To the land of the great
And become greater
Than the great

But look back
Back
At the victims
Of your departure
The cause
The cursed
The victims
Of the large vacuum
That your left
Adieu

Adieu Adieu
Great one
The victim
Adieu

Tochi

May his soul rest in peace

omola

Convoy for gov’s maid to go market and buy pepper.during campaign they are friends after they win turn to god. Keep killing the citizen, vengiance is GOD

Moses

May God console ur family, friends and the ASUU family. U lived and died in the struggle for a better Nigeria. May ur spirit continue to fight for what u believed in. Goodnight comrade.

0810

In civilzed countries , Governors & political VIP’s don’t travel with convoys that drive everyone else out of the roadway, much less drive above designated speed limits. Only in Nigeria can this nonsense be condoned.Nobody remains a governor for ever, so why not conduct yourself approprietly. Hundreds of lives get lost each year due to accidents emanatingfrom convoys. Financial compensations, when paid can never be a substitute to an otherwisw avoidable death.

constructive criticism

May his soul rest in peace. Many of these convoy drivers think they are acting ‘fst snd furious.’ They drive anyhow and kill people. And for their bosses who say nothing or do nothing, God is watching

OlufemiAdeniyi

I will list some of the problems I perceived to be the causes of road accidents in Nigeria, so that the blinds that are in position or road management can do something about them, Do not ask me my skills about road management, please and let us ignore the reckless and irresponsible driving of the governors motorcade at this juncture

(1) Poor road designs

(2) The drivers are poorly assessed or not even assessed before they handle the steering wheel. I often told my friends that I have never seen large buses or articulated lorries in Nigeria with red L plates, that shows that those drivers are not well prepared for driving on public roads

(3) No road makings, road sign, poor lightings and resting bays

(4) Poor policing and road safety management

(5) Over loading which affects control of the vehicle

(6) Vehicles that are road unworthy and poorly maintained vehicles with worn out tires and body parts, ineffective MOT policies

(7) Carelessness, over speeding and human poor human judgment, inability to read few available road signs

(9) Poor insurance schemes, The few insurance companies are paralyzed that they cannot mount pressure on government to maintain road and quality driving policies

(10) Careless or reckless parking and road trading

(11) Poor rescue and emergency facilities increase casualties etc. There are many more

Now that the year is running out and another year is approaching , I hereby advise all Nigerian road users and drivers to DRIVE WISELY and see the new year. Every Nigeria matters ooo, May God save Nigeria from ENEMIES WITHIN

Tolsh

Heroe…….. He was on a mission concerning the strike; which means he fought for Asuu and the students before he went home.
Why do governors, President goes with convoy.? Do they really need it? only if they are clean them self. Its obvious 95.9% of our problems in this country are caused by our leaders.
Many times when i work on roadz and see the way the so called convoy drives it touches and baffles me if they were human and if only they knew some users all so make use of the roads and not only them.
If the senate cant stop this i think we need to stop it our-selves.
I will be making a memorand which i need 2/3 of the youths to back me up, that we can put an end to these unsuitable actions of the so called excort or convoy….. Please join me as we put an end to it.
Long Live Punch!
Long Live 9ja Youths!!
Long Live Federal republic of Nigeria!!!

THE MANDATE

NIGHT FALLS AND SHADOWS CAST
THE PANGS OF DEATH WE FEEL
ITS FURY KNOWS NO SHAFT
THAT LIFE SO HARD TO TELL

THOUGH DEATH WE DO NOT NURSE
IN TEARS WE MOURN OUR LOSS
`BUT DIE ONE DAY WE MUST…..

A TRIBUTE TO PROF FESTUS IYAYI,(PROF OF THE ONLY FACULTY)

Godwin

Gov Wada, you will have to account for this man’s blood. You are governor today but you will not remain one forever.

Otitokoro-ButSayIt

Rest in peace.
Only one life
as u live it matters
whether for good or bad
u will account 4it 1day.

Prof lived his to serve humanity and he wont be forgotten in history.

lagbaja

An intellectual has gone down, in a bid to settle a dispute with useless government.
what a tragedy!
R.I.P prof.

Columnists

"Mr Orubebe, you are former minister of the Federal Republic, you are a statesman in your own right and you must be careful about what you say and about the allegations or accusations that you make and certainly you must be careful about your public conducts."

INEC's Chairman, Attairu Jega cautioning Orubebe over his conduct during the release of the Presidential election results.